Mechanical movement



April 19, 1949. A HUMMEL 2,467,936

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed Dec. 14,- 1 946 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/G: 6 l 66 i! INVENTOR.

LOUISAHUMMEL Patented Apr. 19, 1949 MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Louis A. Hummel, Waterbury, Conn, assignor to The United States Time Corporation, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 14, 1946, Serial No. 716,284

3 Claims.

1 This invention relates in general to a means for performing some mechanical operation once during one complete revolution of a member such as a gear or wheel. Specifically, it contemplates the provision of two members which are to be rotated relative to each other and a condition where it is desired that some operation be performed only when the two members are in one relative angular position.

This invention is particularly applicable to timers for measuring elapsed period of time, as

well as timepieces in general which continuously measure time and especially timepieces having alarms. In timers, the means comprising the present invention can be used to either control the operation of an audible alarm or the functioning of mechanical or electrical devices at a predetermined time.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration is an alarm clock wherein 1 it is desired that the alarm be sounded only once during a complete revolution of the hour hand.

In an alarm clock, it is necessary to provide some means operated by the time train for controlling the sounding of the alarm. It has been the common practice to provide a notch in the hub of the hour wheel and to provide a pin so located that when the hour wheel has moved to a rotary position wherein the notch is in alignment with the pin, the hour wheel may be moved axially so that the pin will be positioned within the lower part of the notch. Some means, such as a long resilient arm, is generally provided to constantly urge the hour wheel towards the aforementioned pin. One end of the resilient arm is generally anchored to one of the frame plates of the clock, and the other end is held in such position during the time that the pin and notch are not in alignment that it will engage the alarm verge or some wheel of the alarm train to prevent the alarm from operating at such time. When the notch moves into alignment with the pin, the resilient arm urges the hour wheel axially and the free end of the arm moves away from whatever part of the alarm train with which it had been engaged to thereby allow the alarm to be sounded. Since it is desirable that the alarm be sounded only once during one complete twelvehour revolution of the hour hand, which is attached to the hour wheel, only one pin and one notch can be provided. Therefore, a line contact is established between the pin and the hub of the hour wheel whereby that part of the hub which is in contact with the pin cannot move axially but that part of the hub which is diamet- 2 rically opposite the pin will be moved axially by the resilient arm. Such an arrangement results in a tendency for the hour wheel to be cooked or skewed and such cocking or skewing causes an undue amount of wear and is apt to result in an unstable movement of the hour wheel.

It is a broad object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement whereby some mechanical operation will be performed when two relatively rotatable members arrive at a predetermined relative angular position.

It is a specific object or this invention to provide an inexpensive means operable by the time train of a clock for controlling the sounding of an alarm, which means will not cause cooking of any of the wheels of the clock.

It is a further object of this invention to provide, in an alarm clock having co-axially mounted time and alarm indicating hands, a means for controlling the let-off or sounding of the alarm which will not result in any axial movement of any of the wheels of the time train or the alarm train or the dial train.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a means for controlling the let-off or sounding of the alarm of a clock which will not result in a cocking or skewing of any of the vital parts of the clock, nor, more particularly, of any part of the control mechanism per se.

These and further objects of the invention will more readily appear as the description of one specific embodiment of the invention proceeds. Referring now to the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view partially in section of the alarm control means of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an assembled sectional view of the alarm control means showing the parts in the position which they assume during the sounding of the alarm.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the alarm control means with certain of the parts being shown in full lines as they appear during the period when the alarm is not being sounded and being shown in dotted lines in the position which they assume during the sounding of the alarm.

Fig. 4 is a view of certain of the elements seen from the line l--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the elements of the alarm control means.

Fig. 6 is a view of certain of the elements seen from the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings wherein the vita1 parts of the invention are shown in unassembled condition; the front frame plate be radially nearer the center of rotation than the opening 66. Likewise, the lug 32 can never be engaged within the opening 64 because when the lug 32 and the opening 64 are in angular alignment, they will not be in longitudinal alignment.

After the cams and lugs of the element have been received within the openings provided therefor in the flange 58, the free end 14 of the resilient arm 14 will move away from the portion 16 of the alarm verge and thereby allow the verge to be moved by the alarm train of the clock; since as previously pointed out, the arm 14 is such that its inherent resiliency will cause the free end 14 and the intermediate portion of the arm to move upward as seen in Fig. 3.

After the alarm has been sounded and the hour wheel continues to move, the earns 22 and 24 will cause the element 20 to be pushed downward as seen in Figs. 2 and 3 until the high points 2%? and 28 are engaged with the fiat surface of the flange 58 adjacent the edges of the openings. Since the element 20 will have a tendency to tilt about the points 26 and 28, the lugs 3e and 32 have been provided with tapered edges 34 and 33 to reduce possible wear and drag on the alarm set wheel and also for the purpose of engaging the edge of one or the other of the openings at and 65 to insure that the lugs and 32 will be moved out of their respective openings in the alarm set TI! wheel. At this time, the element 28 is supported by the ends of the cams 22 and E l and lugs 30 and 32 which slide upon the smooth surface of the flange 53 between the openings therein so that there will be no tendency for the element 20 to cook or skew relative to said wheel, as would be the case were only two points of support for the element 29 provided. The cams 22 and it serve as a means for moving the element 20 towards the resilient arm [4 and the lugs 36 and 32 serve as an additional means for holding the element 20 against the resilient arm l4 and for leveling element 20 relative to the hour wheel and set wheel. It will readily be seen that the same effect could be obtained by locating the lugs 30 and 32 at the same radial distance while placing the cams 22 and 24 at different radial distances. However, it is preferred to have the cams spaced equal radial distances and the lugs difierent radial distances since even pressure is thus placed on said cams during the time they are being cammed out of the openings 65 and 61 in the alarm set wheel.

While the invention has been shown as embodied within an alarm clock, it will readily be appreciated that in essence the hour wheel 38 merely serves to represent any rotatably mounted member and likewise the alarm set wheel 54 is merely representative of a second member rotatable relative to the first member. Likewise, while the free end 14 of the resilient arm M has been shown as engaging part of an alarm verge, it will readily be appreciated that the free end 14 is actually a control device and may serve to operate an electrical contact or to open a valve or perform most any mechanical function.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in its preferred embodiments and has included certain details, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a timing instrument having an alarm, a control member and actuating means for said control member comprising a driven wheel, a pair of openings in said wheel, a member concentric with said wheel and having a pair of cams so constructed and arranged that they extend respectively through said openings in said wheel, said member being movable axially relative to said driven wheel to control the operation of said alarm, and an alarm set wheel mounted in co-axial relation to said driven wheel and rotatable but not axially movable relative thereto, said alarm set wheel having cam-receiving openings corresponding in number and radial position to the openings in said driven wheel and registrable therewith in one relative angular position of said wheels; in combination with a pair of lugs carried by said member and terminating in flat ends, and the driven wheel and alarm set wheel also being provided respectively with pairs of openings to receive said lugs, the ends of said lugs and cams being disposed in a common plane parallel to one surface of said alarm set wheel and either the pair of lugs or pair of cams and the respective openings in the wheels to receive the same being unequally spaced radially from the axis of said wheels and the other pair and the openings therefor being equally spaced radially from said axis but a distance different from either of said unequal radial distances, whereby the lugs and cams will normally slide on said surface of said alarm set wheel and due to said unequal radial distances will register with their respective cam and lug-receiving openings in the wheels at only one relative angular position of said wheels to permit movement of said member toward said alarm set wheel and actuate said control member in one direction, said lugs and cams cooperating to prevent said member from tilting relative to said wheels and said lugs also serving to reduce wear on said cams during movement relative to said alarm set wheel.

2. In a timing instrument having an alarm, a control member and actuating means for said control member comprising a driven Wheel, a pair of openings in said wheel, a member concentric with said wheel and having a pair of diametrically opposed cams so constructed and arranged that they are radially equidistant from the axis of said member and extend respectively through said openings in said wheel, said member being movable axially relative to said driven wheel to control the operation of said alarm, and an alarm set wheel mounted in co-axial relation to said driven wheel and rotatable but not axially movable relative thereto, said alarm set wheel having cam-receiving openings corresponding in number and radial position to the openings in said driven wheel and registrable therewith in one relative angular position of said wheels; in combination with a pair of lugs carried by said member and terminating in flat ends, and the driven wheel and alarm set wheel also being provided respectively with pairs of openings to receive said lugs, the ends of said lugs and cams being disposed in a common plane parallel to one surface of said alarm set Wheel and the pair of lugs and the respective openings in the wheels to receive the same being unequally spaced radially from the axis of said wheels which distances are different from the equal radial distances of said cams, whereby the lugs and cams will normally slide on said surface of said alarm set wheel and due to said unequal radial distances 9f sg ig ly gs i h t'h e Wheel s to rej'ceive the Same ng mg pace radially from th'e a'x'is or sa d 11 ph'gother pair and the bpen n'gs merer r b equally spaced radially from Said 2121s but a 15 time different from either (if said unequal radial di tance s, whereby the lugs and caJn wi11,. ,n6'rirj'glly slide on said Siu'rfacepf 'a'id a'li'rni Set; yvh gl ilgi flue to Salid unequal radial dis alhces W111 i" ister with their re'spective cam and, hi 3 i iw ihei bf a m er tbwara isiaid 'sfei heel arid actuate sa id cojntrqlwmjemb ei v it i q r c i msai lu nd am c opq fi v i p'revnt aid member from tilting rl'a't ive' to salid hegls and said lu'gs' also Sewing t9, reduce 211 mi S c m du ng m ve n l fl iy saisl glarm set Wheel whereas, the be3/e1 ed n'g 

